Spring

Write a blog.  Should be easy.  I have a ton of ideas and yet when I sit down to write one they all seem to fade away on an elusive tendril of thought in my brain.  Anyone else have this problem?

My brain, for one, keeps telling me that no one wants to read what I have to say.  There are hundreds of herbalists out there who are writing blogs and posting on social media.  How can I make my blog something that someone else wants to read, will be drawn to read?  It’s a conundrum for me. 

So, for today, I will write about Spring and moving forward.  Spring is one of my favorite seasons, Fall is the other.  I tolerate Summer and Winter.  Spring is all about renewal.  Old trees and perennial plants put forth new life in their leaves and the new shoots poking up through the old leaves and dirt, reaching for that warm sunshine. Spring is fresh and clean.  The rains come and water rushes through the creek beds cleansing them of all of Fall’s leaf debris and silt that settled in over the Winter.  We just recently had a deluge of rain overnight that sent the creeks roaring again and my waterfall running merrily.  That tells me that new life will be bursting from the ground soon enough.  Some already is..the Daffodils are up and smiling this week. I will be out and about walking the farm this week seeing what else is new, maybe a video or two in the offing.

I have lots to do around Sassafras Ridge this year and I will be starting these projects this Spring.  I need to make a list so I can cross them off once completed, this is only a small start to that list:

• Contact the Ag Agent to see about ideas for fencing across the creek and any grants or other help the farm may be eligible for.
• Build a Greenhouse – planning an inexpensive hoop-style greenhouse, 10×10 or 10×8.  
• Clean up the large herb garden bed – it has been woefully neglected the past two years and it shows.
• Plant all of the potted plants and trees/shrubs on my deck that need to get into the ground. 
• Clean up the 3 small, raised beds and get them planted – one already has Asparagus growing in it.  I am thinking the other two need to have Rhubarb and Horseradish and maybe one other similar perennial veggie. 
• Have a chainsaw party to clean up all the downed trees behind the cabin – I need to learn to use a chainsaw and I am sure others do as well so may turn this into a class/event if I can find a couple of people to teach.  I am having at least 8 tall pines taken down from behind the cabin to prevent them falling onto the cabin. 
• Speaking of the cabin – the front yard needs a lot of work.  There is a LOT of goat poo in it (don’t ask) that needs to be spread out or carted out to another location for use later.  I would like to have at least one Hügelkultur bed in there, maybe a couple of raised beds.  It gets sun most of the day so would be good for veggies or herbs. 
• The plan is for the cabin to become home to Belfire Botanicals for production as well as classes eventually.  Lots to do towards that end this year as well. 

So…SPRING is the time of year for new life, new growth and plans for the future.  It’s been just over a year since Rod died and it has been a year of growth as well as a year of letting go for me.  I’ve had to learn to stand on my own two feet again but also how to accept help when it’s offered and to ASK for help when it’s needed.  I am thankful for my sons and all of my friends, new and old, who have been here to provide that help. 

Belfire Botanicals will be at the Blue Ridge Artisan Days in Kingsport, TN on March 11th, we hope to see you there! Check out all of our upcoming events on the website’s Home page.

With that, I am going out into the SUNSHINE and see what mischief I can get into today 😊

Susan